Friends, Faith and Facebook: A Study on Cultural Dynamics Among ‘yo’ Generation Through Social Media

Abstract

Whats Up on What’s app! Follow me on Twitter! Check my updates on Facebook page! These are buzz words which are pacing lives not in real world but in virtual world. Undoubtedly, new media as a democratic means of communication pattern of 21st century’s tech savvy generation. The expeditious attributes of New Information and Communication Technology (NICT’s) is shifting the communication life style of youth. The sea change taking place from merely using it for information to indulging in chits chats, leaping towards celebrating festivals together which is evolving cultural explosion online. The aristocratic group of society making new media as an integral part of their lives shaping themselves ranging from happiness to sorrows, partially to wholly, slightly to extremely. In the virtual world, youth is living virtual life rather veritable life. Truly, new media being participatory catering youth’s interest in numerable ways trending towards virtual cultural promotion by celebrating various religious festivals online, precipitating the vigorous cultural and behavioral shift. Such social transformation bringing change in society through posting, sharing and updating on virtual spaces irrespective of caste, creed, sex, region and religion by unifying youth to honor and eulogize each other’s cultural celebrations exposing themselves as Indians. The paper revolves around how new media is contributing towards social, cultural and behavioral change amongst ‘YO’ generation, strengthening the feeling of Indian hood. In the traffic of virtual identity, how ‘YO’ generation of urban and rural area is accessing new media for cultural promotion. Authors concluded that in this era of new technological communication, overtaking the individual identity ‘YO’ generation is celebrating culturally collective virtual identity though it is also concluded that there is no significant relationship
between use of social media by YO generation and religious and cultural celebrations but there is significant relationship between behavior of YO generation and post related to religious and cultural celebrations.